


An Incomplete Portrait

by valiant_muffin



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Hinted Arlo/Nora, Tsundere Gust
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-09 16:57:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14720015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valiant_muffin/pseuds/valiant_muffin
Summary: Unable to handle his feelings for the new Builder once he realizes he has them, Gust ends up doing what any young man falling in love for the first time does:He makes a big mess of things.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I started writing this because I really love this game and wanted to explore more of the characters' personalities! Will adjust tags as the story develops.
> 
> (I would also like to note that I wrote this early on in the early access of the game! It was before Gust even had a proposal event so things might look similar but I hadn't known what they planned for him haha)

The river sparkled beneath the afternoon sun as it flowed into the Western Sea, its gentle waves reflecting the brilliant blue of the clear sky. Beneath Gust’s feet were spring flowers that added bursts of color amongst the tall green grass.

For a moment Gust just soaked it all in. It’s not the first time he’s been awed by how beautiful the world is and how much he wanted to capture that beauty in his designs.

After he marveled enough, the young architect planted himself under his usual tree that overlooked the mouth of the river and the nearby Amber Island. He took out his sketchbook with his pencil ready to sketch down designs inspired by the nature around him…

But nothing came.

He stared and stared at the view, but his hand refused to mar the blank page in front of him.

What was wrong with him?

Upset at himself, he became resigned to dully watching his (grudgingly) beloved pet pig, QQ sniff out some nearby flowers. At least someone's happy.

He had thought that visiting the spot that had inspired him so easily before would help ease the listless feeling he had been experiencing lately, yet he still felt as if something was off.

It clearly wasn't the environment though, despite not being moved to actually draw, he still genuinely appreciated the beauty of it. 

Gust considered what the problem could be. If he wasn't going to draw, he might as well take advantage of the lovely solitude to think.

Did anything happen recently that would throw him off balance?

Ginger made him a small shell necklace a couple nights ago that he now wears around his neck, hidden beneath his shirt. He loved it and anything his little sister did for him was never a problem in any way so moving on--

Albert was currently insufferable being over the moon for yet another girl, but for his best friend, that wasn't really anything new. Gust had come to terms that chasing skirts was just a natural part of Albert, even though he couldn't quite understand the appeal himself.

How does one find happiness simply being in the presence of a pretty girl?

Albert had once tried to get him to understand by comparing it to what Gust felt when he found inspiration by the river, but honestly the blond had never experienced the same warm uplifting feeling when he talked to a woman.

Or perhaps that wasn't a complete truth.

The memory of bright eyes and an even brighter smile crashed into Gust’s mind and suddenly his hand moved on its own, pencil finally touching paper.

It struggled to get the curve of her face right, the way her hair falls, the way her eyes light up when she speaks to you and pulls you in...

When Gust finally pulled away to study his work, his lips thinned to a line. The portrait of a certain Builder stared up at him from the page, but something about it wasn't quite right.

Did his memory fail him? Just how long had it been since he had last seen her? It felt like ages since he was stopped by her for a brief chat on his way to the A&G Construction office.

He had found the almost daily interruption annoying at first (and he let her know it), but when she continued to seek him out and was so strangely eager to get him to talk to her, he eventually found himself unable to not indulge her with more words than just pleasantries. 

Soon he started to unconsciously look for her before she even ran up to him, just so he could exchange a few quips before they went their separate ways. Lately though, she had been caught up in commissions, too busy ruin diving for parts, to visit town.

The imperfect portrait of the Builder mocked him. The artist side of him wouldn't accept anything less than an exact likeness of her. He needed to see her-- Strictly for artistic purposes, of course.

Just as he thought this, QQ perked up and ran past Gust in an excited flurry.

“Hiya QQ! Is Gust around?” Gust froze at the familiar voice of the woman he had just been thinking about.

As he heard her approaching the tree he sat at, he hastily shut his sketchbook and stood up to face her.

“And he is! Hello Gust, long time no see,” she beamed at him. With her right there in front of him, he realized he definitely didn't get her eyes right. They were so much brighter in real life.

He didn't understand what was so captivating about her. Her clothes were filthy, black from the smoke of the furnaces she worked with. Even her face was smudged with soot, or just plain dirt from the ruins she explored so much. And her hair was all over the place, wisps of it fell over her face and it just made him want to brush them back into place.

She always looked like this, but he couldn't help himself from attempting to commit every detail to memory. 

The Builder tilted her head inquisitively when he made no response, causing more hair to fall out of place. His hand twitched.

“Gust?” She called out his name, concerned by the fact his brows furrowed. 

Then suddenly he turned away, fists clenched. “Your hair’s a mess.” _And I want to touch it and I don't know why._

Only hearing the first half he spoke out loud, the Builder took a step back. 

Usually not one to regret his words, not even the harshest ones, Gust felt a sudden unease watching her face fall. 

“Oh, sorry, I just noticed QQ so I came racing over to say hi, but I must look awful after being in the ruins all day,” She self-consciously brushed some strands of hair behind her ear.

The fact she was excited to see him after such a long time caused Gust’s words to stick in his throat. His expression darkened further at his inexplicable reaction.

When only silence followed her comment, she forced out a laugh, “Guess I should go clean up then, huh?”

“It's fine, you always look like this,” Gust finally blurted out. He wasn't wrong, but the look on her face made him feel wrong.

“Oh.”

Another step back. QQ sniffed at her feet and she frowned at the pig. Not an expression that suited her face, in Gust’s opinion, but he had a dull realization that he was the one that put it there and that stopped him from speaking his thoughts out loud again.

“I'm just gonna go now, sorry to bother you,” she said, her words soft.

And then she was gone.

Gust stood there for a long while, now more acutely aware of her absence than ever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Albert discovers the impossible happened

“Oy, Gust, where are the designs for that new bookstore and cafe?”

Albert peered over the stacks of paperwork on his desk at his friend who was currently nose deep in his sketchbook. His usual pig companion had been left at home that day.

It was a miracle that the aloof young man that was the second half of A&G Construction was still in the office at all and not out somewhere along the river gathering inspiration.

Actually, the thought occurred to Albert, was Gust spending more time at work than before? Not that Albert was complaining though, he really needed to finish closing their latest project and it saved so much time not needing to chase Gust down.

Not bothering with actual words or looking up, the blond in question held up a folder without stopping in his sketching. Albert huffed out an exasperated laugh and pushed himself out of his chair. Clearly he was expected to fetch the folder himself. Having been Gust’s best friend for this long though, his standoffish behavior just came off as amusing now.

“Well thanks, I-- Oop!” Albert miscalculated the distance between their hands and knocked the folder to the floor, causing its contents to spill out.

While the older man bent over to gather the loose sketches, Gust clicked his tongue in annoyance, “Be _careful_ , Albert.”

The brunette straightened with all the papers in hand and his eyes rolled at the not-so-helpful comment. The retort he had ready died on his tongue when he looked down at the sketches he collected though. Now all he could do was grin mischievously at Gust.

The sketch at the top of the pile in Albert’s hands was a rather beautiful portrait of a certain Builder instead of the interior layout of a store. Somehow the architect’s personal drawings had gotten mixed in with his work designs.

Even to someone who wasn’t an artist like Albert, there was an obvious care put into capturing her features (which he would readily admit were cute). What exactly had been going through Gust’s head when he drew it? The thought made Albert’s grin grow wider.

Noticing Albert wasn’t returning to his desk, Gust frowned, “Whatever problem you have with my design, just spit it out.”

Albert leaned forward over the desk to loom over Gust, the project the last thing on his mind now, “Say, that new Builder…“ Gust’s pencil froze mid-stroke at the mention of her, ”She’s a cute gal, ain’t she?”

His eyes narrowed as Gust leaned away from his friend, inadvertently avoiding him as well as the question,“What does she have to do with anything?”

“No need to get so defensive, mate. I’m just asking what you think about a pretty girl.” The architect’s signature cold look had no effect on Albert, the grin didn’t falter even a little bit.

Green eyes shifted to the ground for the briefest of moments before meeting Albert’s blue ones again. “Right. I guess you could say she is. If you like that type.”

Albert resisted the urge to roll his eyes again at his friend’s antics. Instead, he tilted his head inquisitively, “Are you saying she’s not your type?”

“Is this line of questioning going anywhere?” Gust huffed, pushing his chair back to stand, “Because if it isn’t, I think we have better things to do.”

The brunette stepped around the desk and closed in on his friend. Clearly if he wanted an actual answer he’d have to trap him. “So if she’s not your type, you wouldn’t mind if I asked her to dinner then?” Technically Albert already had a date, but the blond knew that wouldn't stop him. 

Gust hesitated, actually _hesitated_ , instead of giving an immediate flippant response. In all the time that he’d known Gust, Albert had never seen the look of uncertainty that crossed his friend’s eyes just then. That was how Albert knew he got him.

Albert clapped a hand on Gust’s shoulder and laughed, dispersing the sudden tension. “I’m just yanking your chain, mate. What kind of friend would I be if I went after the girl you fancied?” With his free hand, Albert revealed the sketch that he had found. Gust paled at the sight of it.

“I… It’s not--” Gust cleared his throat, recollecting himself. He shrugged, “I apologize for the mix up, that clearly shouldn’t be with the designs.” For a moment, his hand twitched as if ready to snatch it out of his friend’s grip, but it stayed put. Perhaps he thought that made him look too desperate, not that he was fooling Albert.

Unable to resist it this time, Albert rolled his eyes, “Really, Gust. There ain’t nothing bad about drawing the girl you like. Hell, I’d do it all the time if I had your talent!”

The comment earned him a flat look, “You like every girl you meet.”

“Then I guess I’d never be in want of a subject to draw. Look, Gust--” A thought suddenly occurred to Albert, “Wait, is this why you’ve been in the office so much recently? Have you been avoiding her?”

Silence.

Albert balked, “There a reason you just haven’t confessed to her yet?”

“Yes, I mean--” When Albert refused to let Gust shrug off his hand, the blond resorted to glowering, “ _No_ , I’m perfectly fine with just looking at her.”

“Because that’s exactly what someone _perfectly fine_ with the situation would say,” he paused, “You do realize how bad that sounds, don’t you?”

Unable to look his friend in the eye, Gust suddenly developed an interest in the floorboards. They would have to be cleaned soon.

“I don’t need you to tell me that,” he muttered after a long moment through clenched teeth.

It was one thing for Gust to develop an interest in another person outside of his family and Albert, but to be this torn up about them too? _Oh boy, this is serious._ The grip on Gust’s shoulder tightened, forcing the blond to look at Albert who’s big grin returned. “Look, if you need a wingman, I’m your guy! Just--”

The two of them turned to the sudden sound of the front door opening, revealing the Builder herself. She was all smiles walking in, “Hey Albert, are you in?”

A look of shock briefly crossed her features at the unusual sight of Gust in the office that she quickly recovered from. Albert wondered what that was about, but was immediately distracted when she focused all her attention on him instead, “I’ve got your commission for you.”

“Huh? Oh-- I guess I did put up a request, didn’t I?” As Albert scrambled to find the payment for the commission, he was suddenly aware of how friendly he and the builder had become over the brief time they’ve known each other but really, he liked to think he was like that with everyone. Curse his naturally charming demeanor! He tried to silently communicate an apology to Gust but the latter already turned away. 

Gust returned to his seat and immediately buried himself in his sketchbook since he was no longer barred by Albert. Not a single glance was spared for their visitor. Seeing this, Albert shot him a brief exasperated look that the architect paid no attention to.

The cold shoulder didn’t escape the notice of the Builder either, who started to awkwardly shuffle on her feet. “Um, sorry for the interruption. I didn’t, uh, realize Gust was here too. Here,” She handed a package of bricks over to Albert and turned to the door again as soon as he paid her.

Before she could make a hasty escape though, Albert had already dropped the package down on to his desk and threw an arm over her shoulders. He spun her around again to face Gust.

“Hold on, you really saved our hides, you know? We were really struggling to finish this project and those bricks are just the thing we needed!” Albert’s wink was lost on his partner given that the latter was pointedly ignoring the other two.

Unperturbed, Albert continued, “Thanks a bunch for your quick work as usual. I’m sure Gust here appreciates your timeliness too, don’t ya, mate?” With his arm around her, Albert could feel the builder perk up in anticipation for Gust’s answer.

Maybe that meant she was interested too, there’s hope!

Gust glanced up, finding himself unable to ignore the direct question. It gave him an excuse to actually look at her--

The sight of her staring at him with obvious expectation, her bright eyes shining, her hair more of a mess than usual probably from running all the way here...

He swallowed and forced himself to turn to Albert instead, attempting to ignore just how comfortable the lady’s man looked with an arm around the Builder.

There was an excited look in Albert’s eyes he couldn’t ignore though, that annoyed him beyond reason. It was a look that was practically screaming, _Now’s your chance! Talk to her!_

Gust’s eyes narrowed in response: _No._

“Thanks. For doing your job,” He replied out loud before returning to his work.

 _I’m going to punch you, mate._ Albert hoped the thought reached Gust as the brunette felt the Builder’s shoulders drop at the cool remark.

Of course, the stubborn man didn’t even squirm under his friend’s hostile look.

While the two men had their one-sided wordless argument, the Builder awkwardly extricated herself from Albert. “Uh, no problem! Sorry, but I've got to go now...”

“Right, I’m sure you got plenty of important builder things to do. Thanks again for your help!” Quick to switch back to his usual charming self, Albert watched her smile at his words then glancing uncertainly at Gust before she closed the door behind her.

As soon as she was out, the older man turned sharply on Gust. Throwing his hands up into the air in exasperation, he half-shouted, “What was _that_ all about, mate?”

There was a few moments of silence between the two men unwilling to give in to the other.

Then, as if he was unable to hold it in any longer, Gust suddenly threw his sketchbook unceremoniously onto his desk and heaved out one long shuddering breath. His expression became hidden as he raked a hand through his hair and caused it to fall messily across his face.

“I don’t know, Albert,” he hissed, the words punctuated with emotion that almost sounded like despair.

If there ever was a moment that Albert felt so frustrated to the point he’d want to bang his head against a stone wall to knock himself out senseless so he wouldn’t have to deal with the absurdity of the situation, it was right then.

His best friend was in love and seemed to be too stubborn to do anything about it.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Builder discusses her problem over dinner with the Civil Corps

“I’m going to kill him!” Sam exclaimed, jumping to her feet when the Builder finished telling her what happened earlier that afternoon at the A&G Construction Office and for context, the conversation she and Gust had by the river all those days ago.

The Builder pulled on Sam’s jacket, “No, please don’t! I mean, I feel like maybe it calls for at least one punch to the stomach since his face is too pretty to be hit, but killing him is a bit...”

“I’d appreciate it if you did neither, or at least not announce it while I’m around and would be duty bound to stop you,” The leader of the Civil Corps, Arlo, called out from the floor below where he was practicing moves on a training dummy.

Sam huffed, but sat back down on the cushion. She and the Builder were currently inside the headquarters of Portia’s Civil Corps branch, sitting on the floor of the little alcove above the holding cell that was normally left empty due to the lack of criminals to put in it. This was mostly due to the diligence of the Civil Corps team that Sam was a part of.

The third member of the team walked up the stairs to the girls, plates of steaming food balanced on his arms. “Wow, girls sure are terrifying. Remind me to not get on either of your bad sides,” Remington chuckled as he handed the Builder and Sam each a plate.

The Builder accepted hers with a smile. Remington hadn’t even asked if she was joining them for dinner while he had been in the kitchen cooking and she had stormed in to vent to Sam. He just naturally figured that some food should be in order to help deal with her problem.

After several commissions that led the Builder on some adventures dealing with ruins and monsters, she’d inevitably gotten close to the team that dealt with those problems on a daily basis. She absolutely trusted these people with her life, the love part included.

“You got that right, Remy! Just thinking about how Gust had the nerve to say those things to you, I just want to--” Sam stuffed a forkful of food into her mouth and made angry gestures to express her intentions.

“I can still see that, you know,” Arlo commented, coming up the stairs to join them and took the plate Remington offered. Sam smiled innocently at her team leader, even whistling tunelessly for added effect. From his spot next to her, Remington struggled to contain his laughter.

Despite the light atmosphere, the Builder still found herself sighing and listlessly pushing around a piece of vegetable with her fork. “Even if it makes me angry, it isn’t like he was wrong though,” She blew at the strands of hair in front of her face. Ever since Gust had pointed out that it was a mess, she started to realize just how often her hair fell across her eyes.

The green haired Civil Corps member placed a friendly hand on her shoulder. “Aw, don’t sweat it. You look fine to me!” Remington’s smile turned to a cringe when Sam elbowed him in the ribs.

“That doesn’t mean much coming from you, Mr. My-Boots-Stink-All-The-Time,” She scoffed, shaking her head, “But he’s right, you’re adorable, kid. Gust’s just got his nose too high up in the air to see it.”

The Builder cracked a smile at their antics. “I know he’s kind of particular about things being clean,” she said, recalling the time she tried to return his lamp that she recovered from the Bandirats and he refused it on the grounds that it had been dirtied (and it really had been), “But I thought he didn’t mind with me, like we could still talk!”

Suddenly, the idiocy of the situation came crashing down on her in full force and she began to viciously stab her food with her fork. “Sure, I’ve been busy with commissions so I wasn’t able to see him for some time, but what the heck? Weren’t we able to hold a decent conversation before? Did he just suddenly decide in that space of the time I wasn’t worth the hassle?” Stab, stab, stab.

Remington and Sam exchanged looks of concern. If the normally easygoing Builder was getting this worked up, things were definitely serious and Sam was seriously going to give Gust a piece of her mind.

Sensing the rising tension, Remington looked to his leader for help who had been silently listening the whole time, “What do you think about the situation, Arlo?”

Sam shot Remington an incredulous look, “How’s Arlo going to help? Give her a tactical maneuver? It’s not like he’s in a relationship himself either.”

Their red-haired leader continued chewing without looking up and the lack of response piqued the curiosities of both team members.

“No way, really?”

“Hah! Did you finally give into one your fangirls?”

Slowing her food assault to a halt, the Builder grew more uneasy as the silence continued to draw out. She was probably the only one who knew about Arlo’s nightly rendezvous with a certain church sister on the weekends, having caught the two of them in a tête-à-tête as she returned home late from the Hazardous Ruins one night.

She wasn’t sure why he kept it a secret, but she couldn’t leave him in the crossfire like that, “It’s fine, who knows what Gust’s thinking--” she started.

“Did you tell him _your_ feelings?” Arlo asked after finally swallowing.

The question stunned them all into silence. “It might feel like he’s dodging, but you haven’t even thrown the first punch, and no I don’t mean that literally, Sam,” he gave the blonde a reproachful look when she smirked.

“You know, from what little I know of the guy, he does seem kind of…” Remington trailed off.

Sam helpfully supplied, “Thick-headed?”

“Yeah! Kind of like that!”

“Okay, that’s enough you two,” Arlo sighed as his two friends burst out laughing.

After taking a moment to recover, Sam leaned back and glanced up at the red head behind her, “You had me going there, Arlo, but leave it to you to just be chewing over the best way to give love advice in fighting terms.”

He sniffed, “Given how you were all gunning for him, it felt appropriate. Behave, you guys.” With his plate now empty, Arlo started heading down the stairs. The Builder threw him an appreciative smile that he returned with a silent nod.

Once he disappeared into his room, the Builder sighed, slumping against a nearby crate. “Arlo’s right though, I guess I never actually told Gust I was interested in him. Do you think that’d change anything?”

“Or maybe getting a haircut would help?” Remington tilted his head as he stared at her, trying to imagine it. Despite knowing he meant well, she couldn’t stop herself from squirming under his scrutinization.

Sam elbowed him harder than before, “Remy, that was the worst thing to say!”

“Ow, sorry! I didn’t mean it, I like her hair!”

Sighing, Sam placed her finished plate to the side and firmly grasped the Builder by her shoulders. “Look, as you can see, we’re not the best at giving relationship advice that’s not in the form of punching him if he hurts you, which I would gladly do,” There’s a brief pause as she flicked a quick glance to Arlo’s closed bedroom door. It remained closed. “But I know that won’t really make you happy, so we should get advice from someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Someone who’s an expert in love!”

There’s a sparkle in Sam’s eye that the Builder didn’t quite understand. She placed her own plate to the side as her brows furrowed in confusion, “...Albert?”

Sam sputtered, “Wait what? No! He’s the worst! No--” Her hands found the Builder’s and used them to pull her up.“We’re going to see _Alice_.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gust tries to figure it out, almost gets it, and then... runs away

The river was different at night. The moon was full enough that navigating alongside the river wasn’t too much of a danger, but the light shining down on the water didn’t inspire any warmth. Not that Gust spared much attention to the moonlight.

Gust kept a careful eye on Ginger as she stood a little ways ahead of him. He tried to mind his distance after the numerous times she’s reminded him that while she still had an illness that made her too weak to venture out in the daytime, she was now an adult and didn’t have to be fussed over like a child.

It didn’t stop him though from taking a step forward with his arm outstretched, ready to assist, when she crouched down and leaned forward to pick something out of the river.

“ _Ginger_ ,” he called out her name in warning. There was no sting to it, only concern.

His fiery-haired sister straightened, shaking the water off her hand as she inspected her find in the other, “I’m fine, Gust. A little water won’t hurt me.”

Gust sighed and shoved his hands back into his pockets. All those years ago before he left for Atara for school, he had squandered all his time being unfairly angry at her. It took him so long to figure out that the death of their mother wasn’t her fault. Ginger suffered that lost too and he couldn’t help but think that it left its mark on her in a worse way. Now he tried very hard not to think about how much time left he had with her.

With a great effort he pulled his eyes away from his sister to give her at least some privacy, even though he wasn’t at the point yet where he would let her wander in the dark alone. Instead, his eyes travelled to the tree where he had talked with the Builder all those days ago. The memory of it reminded him of the rather disastrous reunion that happened earlier in the day at the A&G Construction office, including the events following her hasty retreat.

-

_“Wow, that was bad, mate.”_

_“Thank you for that, Albert,” Gust’s jaw was clenched after having dropped his pride to relay to his best friend all that had happened between him and the Builder. Thinking that maybe the infamous womanizer would be able to share some earth shattering advice on how to fix the situation was apparently hoping for too much._

_Albert caught onto his thoughts though, and patted him on the shoulder, “Hey, don’t worry, there’s still hope, Gust. Just whatever you do, don’t go ignoring her again.” Green eyes fell to the floor again indicating he was thinking of doing just that. Albert heaved a sigh, “First, let’s work on those social skills of yours.”_

-

The remainder of the afternoon had been spent with Albert lecturing him on “how to talk with ladies” which ended abruptly when Albert realized he was late for his own date. It didn’t inspire much confidence in Gust to say the least.

Before leaving the office himself, Gust had silently picked up the portrait of the Builder from where his friend had forgotten it on his desk. The uneasy feeling he got whenever he looked at it returned. Albert might have thought it was a wonderfully done picture of a pretty girl, but he just didn’t know better. Gust knew though. It wasn’t finished, not even close. The blond had half a mind to crumple up the sketch so he would stop picking out the imperfections that made it not her but instead, he slipped it back into his personal sketchbook.

His hand subconsciously went to where he kept it in his jacket. He’d admit Albert was right about one thing though, his social skills needed work. But if he could express what he meant through a drawing that would be enough, wouldn’t it? A drawing that could properly capture the beauty she had that was more than just the curve of her charming smile or the lovely shape of her face. He wasn’t planning on actually showing her the finished piece, but he hoped that completing it and figuring out his feelings would go hand in hand. Gust ignored the small voice in his head that said, _That’s not how it works._ Especially since it sounded suspiciously like Albert.

“Is everything alright, Gust?”

The voice of Ginger startled the blond out of his thoughts to find that she was a lot closer than he last noticed. Embarrassed at his lapse in attention, Gust avoided her eyes. He wouldn’t be able to lie if he looked, especially not when she seemed so concerned. “It’s nothing, I’m fine. Do you want to head back?” He asked.

Ginger didn’t seem entirely convinced there wasn’t a problem, but she nodded anyway, “Yes, I think I’m feeling a little tired.”

The two siblings started making their way back into town. Some of the unease Gust had been feeling along the dark river fell away under the strong glow of the street lamps of the Central Plaza. A comfortable silence had settled between them and Gust thought he managed to avoid his sister’s questioning. He was wrong.

“You know that even if I’m sick, I can still listen to your problems, don’t you?” Ginger spoke softly, her face turned towards her brother as they walked side by side.

It took all of Gust’s willpower to keep his expression neutral. While touched by his sister’s concern, he believed she already had too much to deal with. Something ridiculous as whatever was going on between him and the Builder wasn’t worth her trouble. “I know, Ginger, but…”

“I want you to be happy, just like you want me to be,” She continued and Gust felt a pang of guilt for causing his sister to worry.

“It really is nothing, please don’t--” the words died on his tongue at the sight of the Builder coming down the stairs in front of him and Ginger. She was still too far away for her to have noticed them. His thoughts floundered. He should talk to her. No, he shouldn’t talk to her, didn’t the incident earlier that afternoon prove he can’t trust his mouth to say the right thing? And of course, Albert’s lecture didn’t actually teach him anything useful to say either.

Unaware of his internal struggle, Ginger only saw him freeze with his eyes fixed on something in front of them, “Gust? What’s wrong?” She followed his gaze, but only saw the Builder who she thought was too nice to be the source of her brother’s panic.

Too lost in thought to hear Ginger, Gust took a step forward. He needed to stop overthinking and just apologize for… for what? Telling the truth? Since when did he care what effect his words had on someone? His next step was more hesitant.

Then he saw Sam come up behind the Builder with a determined glint in her eye. Suddenly filled with a feeling of self-preservation, Gust immediately took two steps back and took Ginger by the arm to maneuver them both into the nearby alley between Best Brother and Total Tools.

He looked over his shoulder as they entered the park beyond the alley to see the two women continue to walk past without acknowledging the siblings. While he felt relieved in avoiding a conflict (he might be bad at polite conversation, but he wasn't suicidal. Everyone knew not to mess with Sam when she had that look in her eye), he also felt like he made another mistake. Gust faced forward again to find Ginger giving him an indecipherable look.

“Gust…” Her eyes seemed to be searching his face for an answer he didn’t know himself, “Do you have a crush on the Builder?”

A crush? Is that the word for it? Somehow it felt too diminutive of what he felt. Regardless, this still wasn’t something he wanted to talk about with Ginger.

“No, of course not. This isn’t grade school. We had a… disagreement earlier and I just didn't want to have it brought up again today.” It wasn’t entirely the truth, but he gave Ginger a stern look that meant that was all he was going to say on the matter.

Ginger’s lips thinned to a line and Gust knew he hurt her. He seemed to be doing that to people a lot lately. “Alright, but I meant what I said before. When you’re ready to actually talk to me, I’ll be here to listen,” she said and without waiting for his reply started walking in the direction of their home.

Gust closed his eyes and just stood there for a moment. Why were words so complicated? It felt as if the wrong ones came out so readily. He sighed and opened his eyes again to cast a final look over his shoulder. The Builder and Sam were already gone but he couldn’t help but wonder where they went. With Sam looking like she was about to start a mission, Gust found a small part of himself worrying for the Builder. It was foolish, given that he knew the Builder was capable enough to be able to travel into the Hazardous Ruins alone on a near daily basis. He shook his head and ran to catch up with Ginger. _Still, I hope they’re not planning on doing something dangerous.  
_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read this little story! Don't worry, there's still a couple chapters left! (Shout out especially to people who left comments, they really spurred me on to finishing this chapter :'D)


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a plan involving a bit of subterfuge is formed

Back against a wall, the Builder’s eyes searched the room for a way to escape. The only way out was too far. Sweat dripped down her temple as her gaze snapped back to the two women blocking her path. With every passing second, it felt more and more dangerous to stay there.

When Sam and the Builder first knocked on Alice’s door, the bookish florist welcomed them inside with tea and a shy smile. Her little brother, Jack was sleeping over at Toby’s place so the women were free to talk about the Builder’s predicament without sparing any details.

That had been over an hour ago.

Alice’s shy smile had long since been replaced with a menacing (at least in the Builder’s eyes) grin that matched Sam’s.

“What if Gust almost gets hit by a Dee-Dee Transport, but she pushes him out of the way just in time, causing her to land on top of him? She’d be his hero and it’d leave her in a wonderful position to confess!” Alice held her head with a hand, lost in her own fantasy. The Builder couldn’t help but think that Gust would be able to see that coming a mile away. This was one of Alice’s more tamer ideas that she’s shared so far though.

Sam had her arms crossed and nodded along as Alice spoke. “I could probably arrange that. We’d just need the driver to make sure he’s either actually going at a controllable speed or is very good at swerving. Wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt and Arlo catching wind of this,” as usual when Sam interjected, it was with the logistics to make the plan seem feasible. Except it completely overlooked the fact that the premise of the plan was pretty outlandish in the first place.

_It would make for a nice novel plot at least._ The Builder kept the thought to herself. Alice, afterall, was a romance writer when she wasn’t selling flowers and the Builder could see why Sam thought of Alice as someone who could help her love problems. Who didn’t want a happy fairytale ending to their own story?

But with each new idea that Alice suggested, the Builder was starting to wonder if Gust would end up getting hurt in the end. Physically at least. While she wasn’t sure what his feelings were, the Builder didn’t want him in actual danger just so she could tell him hers. At this point, she just wanted to directly follow Arlo’s advice and tell Gust straight out what she thought.

“Why don’t I just go up to him and tell him I like him?” The Builder offered.

Alice and Sam turned to her at the same time.

“Of course not, that’s not romantic!”

“What? No way that’d work!”

They’ve had this exchange at least five times already.

The Builder sighed as Alice and Sam went back to discussing variables of getting a Dee-Dee Transport driver’s cooperation. The night was dragging on and she was getting tired, but she knew that they weren’t going to stop until they helped her. It was sweet of them, really. She truly wanted to settle this tension between her and Gust as well because yes, despite it all, she missed talking to him.

Shaking her head clear, the Builder decided that she was going to form a plan tonight.

She cleared her throat to get their attention. “Guys, what if we get Albert to pretend there’s a client that wants to meet Gust on Amber Island?” Alice and Sam waited for her to go on. They weren’t immediately shooting her down so her choice in subterfuge was apparently the correct one. “And instead of a client, it’s me. It’s also nighttime and uh--” she saw Sam open her mouth to speak so she rushed to cut her off, “And we’ve set up lanterns everywhere so it, you know, has _mood lighting_.”

“And is safe,” Sam nodded.

The Builder continued, “Right, and that’s when I’ll… confess to him.” There were so many things she wanted to talk to him about ( _What happened during that time she didn’t see him? Did he dislike her now?_ ) but that seemed like the most succinct answer for now. She’d figure out the rest later.

“Oh! And you’ll have a pretty dress and we’ll do your hair too and--” Alice stopped when Sam placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking her head.

The Civil Corps member gave the Builder a serious look, “No, he already said what he thinks and we aren’t going to give him the satisfaction that you changed to please him. If he likes you, he likes you for who you already are, and if he doesn’t, that’s his loss.”

A swell of emotion threatened to overcome the Builder at Sam’s words, but she forced it down, letting only a smile shine on her face. “I’m going to at least wash my face, even I know the soot isn’t flattering.”

“Fine, but you’re leaving your hair as is. It’s cute,” the blonde winked.

Grabbing the Builder’s hands, Alice pulled her closer in unrestrained glee, “This is going to be so romantic! Do you want me to give you some lines to say?”

With such excitement in the writer’s eyes, the Builder couldn’t find it in herself to say no. “S-sure, and I’ll handle the lanterns, I think I’ve got a blueprint from Petra for some.”

“Yes, the setting is very important. The mood must be perfect for the perfect confession! I’ll draw you up a scene as well!” Alice twirled her around as Sam clapped her hands in joy.

Operation: Amber Island Confession was a go.

\--

When the Builder approached Albert with their plan, he was a little shocked to learn that she actually liked his best friend enough to go to such lengths. On one hand, it was a good sign that she apparently wasn’t too put off by Gust’s cold behavior. On the other hand, Gust would kill him if he found out Albert lied to him, especially to butt in to help his love life.

But of course, Albert could never say no to a pretty girl.

\--

A part of the plan that the Builder had realized later was that Albert needed to know where Gust would be that night to tell him of the sudden meeting with the “client.” They thought if they surprised him with it, Gust wouldn’t be able to think too hard about why a client would arrange such a bizarre meeting. She knew that the architect would accompany Ginger on walks to the river or the beach at night, having run into them a couple of times before, and it would be bad for the the two siblings to accidently pass by Amber Island as the Builder, Alice, and Sam were setting up.

This meant that they had to rope Ginger into their plans as well.

Which turned out to be surprisingly easy. When the Builder visited the mayor’s house during the day when she knew Gust would be working, she found Ginger willing to stay in for that night, but on one condition.

Ginger gently grabbed the Builder’s arm when the latter rose from the seat she had taken to talk. “Please make my brother happy,” she started, “I know something’s been upsetting him these past few days and he won’t tell me what it is, but I think it has something to do with you.”

Stunned by this knowledge, the Builder didn’t manage to respond right away before Ginger went on, “You’re a good person, so I’m not too worried about what happened, but please, if you can, help him. He might just need a little encouragement to start talking.”

A few moments passed as the two women looked at each other in silence. Ginger’s grip tightened minutely. After another beat, the Builder placed her hand over it and squeezed back.

“The best I can do is meet him halfway, and if he doesn’t want that, I don’t…” The Builder looked away, “I don’t know if I could do anything else. If I should do anything else.”

Ginger nodded, and let go. “That’s all I could ask for. I wish you the best of luck,” she smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which what was missing is (finally) found

The night that the operation was to take place, Gust was at home as planned and sitting across from Ginger. His little sister was preoccupied with stringing together shells that she had collected from the beach the other night.

After the evening he had avoided the Builder in the Central Plaza, Ginger hadn’t brought up his “crush” again. However, it was as if a heavy weight had settled on him ever since then. He felt even more restless than before, unable to find relief. He hadn’t seen the Builder since then either. His pencil tapped incessantly against the open page in front of him that was filled with just mindless doodles from the past half hour.

Would talking about it help? Perhaps he could understand the Builder better if he did actually talk to Ginger. She was also a woman so she’d have better insight than Albert, right? He looked up at Ginger to find that she had been looking at him too. When their eyes met, she quickly busied herself with her jewelry making again.

“Are you feeling okay, Ginger? Should I get Dr. Xu?” Gust asked, a million of possibilities running through his head at once. The clinic was closed at this time, but Gust knew where the doctor lived.

His sister immediately threw up her hands, “No! I-- Oh no!” The motion had caused her work to go flying across the room towards the door and she immediately stood up to get it.

Gust jumped to his feet, motioning for her to sit back down. Normally this would be a job he’d leave for Russo, their butler, who was in the other room talking to their father, but he’d gladly take an excuse to avoid the problem that he almost addressed.

Ginger hadn’t finished tying the ends of the necklace together so all the shells had scattered across the floor which suited him just fine. It’d take him longer.

Just as he neared the shells closest to the door, it burst open, slamming into Gust’s face. It wasn’t forceful enough to knock him out, but he might’ve said a word Ginger shouldn’t have heard while he staggered backward from the impact.

“Gust! We’ve got an emergency!” Albert shouted as he rushed inside the house. He froze. The first thing he noticed was the beautiful lady staring at him in horror from the couch across the room. The second thing he noticed was the swearing coming from behind the door.

Forcing himself up, Gust kept one hand tight over the shells he collected with the other furiously rubbing his forehead, “It better be important enough to excuse you forgetting the concept of knocking.” Wait, hasn't this happened before? Months ago, after the Builder had finished the bridge to the desert and the mines within it, there had been a cave in. His father had come running into the A&G Construction Office breathless and frantic about the Civil Corps members, the engineer Mint, and  _ the Builder  _ being stuck in the mines. A similar panic seized him again. Gust stepped closer to Albert, blocking out the rest of the room. 

“What happened? Is someone in trouble?” He was unaware that his hand was now gripping Albert by the vest, all of his focus was on getting a destination from the older man because _ if she was hurt _ \--

“W-whoa, whoa! Easy there, mate. Nobody’s in trouble, not yet anyway,” Albert sighed in relief as Gust eased off him. At first he wasn’t entirely sure what set Gust off like that, but then it dawned on him what the situation reminded him of. He was in the office too after all, when Mayor Gale came running for help. Fixing his clothes and keeping his cheeky grin in check, Albert clarified, “There’s a client that suddenly showed up at my doorstep wanting to talk to you about your designs. I told him I’d get you, but he insisted on meeting you at Amber Island for some reason. Took a liking to the place I guess?”

The words took a moment for Gust to process. Calming down now that he knew it wasn’t about the Builder, he started to look incredulous, “A client at this time of night? And at Amber Island?” he shook his head, “Tell him no, or at least to wait for the morning.”

Albert wanted to roll his eyes, something he found himself doing more often when dealing with his best friend’s love life. Maybe he should’ve just stuck with the story that the Builder was in trouble. “But Gust--”

“You should go,” the two men turned to voice of Ginger, “Don’t slack off on your work, Gust,” Her words were disapproving enough that her brother felt a small pang of guilt he wouldn’t have felt if Albert had said them.

Sighing, Gust stepped back into the room, “Fine. Let me grab my jacket.”

\--

Gust headed towards Amber Island in the dark alone. Albert had parted ways saying he’d stop by the office to pick up some documents before catching up with him and the client. The moon was out at least, and with Ginger still safe at home, Gust spared a glance at it.

He once read a book from before the Age of Darkness about how the moon didn’t generate its light, but was merely reflecting the sun’s. Shivering slightly, Gust figured there must be some truth to it. How could an imitation provide the warmth of the real thing? The Builder’s workshop was dark as he passed and he was suddenly aware of the weight of his sketchbook in his jacket pocket. Shaking his head, the architect hurried on.

In the distance he could see a faint glow coming from the direction of Amber Island. Gust squinted at the lights. Since when did Amber Island have lanterns? Was this the client’s doing? Trepidation filled him as he crossed the bridge to the island. Paper lanterns lit the way to the side facing the sea, some were even hanging from the trees casting a beautiful glow on the clearing. There was not a snaillob or sea urchin in sight. If Gust had any attention to spare, he would have noted that someone went through a lot of trouble to make sure that Amber Island was well lit and safe for this supposed “sudden” meeting.

But there, in the middle of it all and bathed in the warm light of the many lanterns, was the Builder. Like a beacon in the dark night, he couldn’t help but be drawn to her and her alone. She looked the same as usual, wild hair, worn overalls, but he noted that her face seemed more radiant. A trick of the light? Then she smiled and suddenly, it was as if the heavy feeling he had been carrying around with him had been lifted it.

“So, my prince, you’ve finally arrived,” she said and Gust’s thoughts came screeching to a halt.

\--

“Her what--” Albert blurted out before Sam and Alice each clamped a hand over his mouth and pulled him deeper into the shadows that they hid in just a little ways outside of the brightly lit clearing. After separating from Gust, Albert waited a bit in front of the office before circling around the Builder’s workshop to get to Amber Island and avoid running into his friend.

Next to Albert in their hiding place, Ginger shot him a stern look that surprisingly reminded him a lot of her older brother. She silently placed a finger over her mouth to signal him to be quiet. Unable to help himself, Albert responded with a mime of zipping his own lips and a smirk that made Sam pull on his ear in warning. He’d admit he deserved that.

The fiery haired girl had somehow managed to sneak up on Albert just before he left town and of course he wasn’t going to let a lady walk alone in the dark, so he took her with him. Although the determination that had been on her face made it clear to him that she was going to go there whether he accompanied her or not. The former just seemed like the safer solution for all parties involved because Gust for sure would have killed him if he hadn’t.

Keeping a distance from the blond in question, the pair then happened to run into Alice and Sam already watching things unfold from the shadows. Everybody apparently had the same idea that they did not want to miss the Builder’s confession, especially Gust’s reaction to it.

\--

“Excuse me?” was all Gust managed to say. His eyes were wide, mouth hanging open. Whatever he was expecting to happen, that was definitely not one of them. 

The Builder groped her memory for her lines with a hand outstretched, gesturing as if she could conjure them out of thin air, “How enchanting your… hair? Glows in the moonlight-- No wait, the lamp light?  These aren’t lamps .” After fumbling over her words, the Builder rubbed at the space between her eyes. “Ah forget it. I’m sorry Alice, I can’t do this,” She sighed and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, he saw something ressolute in them, “Look, Gust, I think you’re pretty.”

Somehow that made even less sense to him than what she had been saying before. It wasn’t the first time he’s heard such a compliment before (he had many fans in Atara actually), but he never imagined he’d hear it from her of all people. It did feel nice though, coming from her. For some reason.

“But I also think you’ve been pretty annoying lately--”

Now that was something he was expecting. His heart suddenly felt like it was in a vice, especially since he couldn’t deny her accusation. What could he say to fix this mess he made?

However, she wasn’t done, “I know it’s ridiculous, but despite it all, I still like you. I like talking with you. Sometimes your words come out meaner than you probably mean them to though, so I want to be sure I understand them.” There’s a pause where she took a deep steadying breath that contrasted sharply with how Gust felt like he wasn’t getting enough air. She liked him? Was that the way to describe what he’s been feeling too? The vice grew tighter.

“Have I been annoying you? Do you dislike me?”

And here it was, his chance to correct all the mistakes he made the last few days. She was giving him an opening because it turns out she understood him well, and had so much patience for him and his failings. He just needed to say the right thing.

He found that he still couldn’t.

Remaining silent, he stepped forward. Her eyes searched his face for the answer he wasn’t giving her as he closed the distance between them, stopping just a few paces away. Gust opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again.

There was a tension in the air that thickened with each passing second until, patience running thin, the Builder raised her head higher to glare at him, “Say something, Gust.” Her hair bounced in the light from the motion and something _ snapped _ inside him.

“This has been driving me insane,” he hissed and then his hand was in her hair and his lips were on hers and it just all came together at once. “I love the way you look, the way your hair is never in place,” he said between breaths, his fingers curled against those very strands he spoke so fondly of, “The way you just brighten up the place just by walking in and--”

A part of the Builder was mortified that he kept talking while he was kissing her, but this was what she wanted, right? Although the things he was saying… Thank goodness Alice and Sam agreed to leave after they finished setting up.

Finally he pulled away, but only far enough to lean his forehead against hers. “I don’t--” his thoughts were starting to catch up to his actions. He closed his eyes and barrelled on before the embarrassment overcame him,  “I don’t dislike you, in fact, I think… it’s the opposite.”

She grinned, bringing a hand to his cheek, because honestly, this man. Words really weren’t his forte, huh? “I know,” she said.

“And… I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you, I just--”

Stopping him from continuing by pecking him lightly on the lips, her grin grew wider, “I know.” Then it was just the two of them smiling at each other, because  _ finally _ , he understood why he had felt incomplete. He would never admit it out loud, but he was such an idiot. A drawing would never be able to hold a candle to the real thing.

“Oy, mate, you still gotta say it! Didn’t I teach ya anything?”

Both of their heads turned to see Albert at the edge of the clearing, his hands on his hips in indignation. Sam also popped out from behind the tree she was hiding behind, “You know, I hate to admit it, but I kind of agree with Albert.” She didn’t even look even a little ashamed.

“Oh, please do! It’s just the ending this needs!” Alice chimed in as she too hopped into the open.

The Builder stared at the trio with utter betrayal on her face, “Are you serious? I thought you guys said you’d leave!” In response, the blonde Civil Corps member just shrugged.

“Just doing my duty to make sure he wasn’t going to hurt you,” she said, clearly lying with a smirk on her face.

Finally peeking out from her hiding place, Ginger looked a little sheepish, “He would never hurt her.”

Gust, upon seeing his sister, jerked away from the Builder. There was a feeling of loss, but the embarrassment was stronger. “Ginger! What are you doing here?” The Builder had never seen that particular distressed expression on his face before.

“Don’t you dare run away, Gust. You’re not done yet,” the redhead crossed her arms and gave him a fierce glare that stopped him in his tracks. He looked from her to the Builder who tilted her head in question. _ And? _

He coughed while his cheeks grew red enough to hide the freckles on his face, “I… I think you know how I feel at this point, don’t you?” Gust started to back farther away from the Builder when she pulled on his sleeve.

“Well I love you, you know,” she said with such an open warm expression as her hand slid down to hold his. Gust knew right then and there he would never be able to deny her anything if she spoke to him like that.

His free hand came up to hide part of his face, but he somehow mustered up the courage to say his next words though they were soft, “I love you too.”

His confession was almost drowned out by the hooting and cheers from their friends. They would never let him escape his feelings now.

\--

Shortly after the group left Amber Island once all the lanterns were cleaned up as per Sam’s instructions, Remington stretched while letting out a big yawn.

“Well, I’m glad he finally came around! I was worried there for a sec,” he said to his leader who was standing next to him. The two of them were currently on top of the cave on the island where they had been eavesdropping the whole time.

Arlo let out a breath that almost sounded relieved. “They seem happy,” and continued in a more serious tone, “And it seems that Sam followed protocol at least, so we’re done here.”

While waiting for the redhead to climb down first, Remington chuckled, “If you were so worried about them, you could’ve just said so, you know. We didn’t have to do a secret stakeout.” Silence was his only response as he jumped down next.

“So,” he continued regardless, “When are you going to tell Sam about Nora?”

This time Arlo briefly looked at him flatly before continuing walking, “No.”

“I guess Gust isn’t the only thick-headed guy in town,” Remington laughed, slapping a hand on Arlo’s back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...And that's it! Thank you everyone for reading and to those who took the time to leave comments ;w; I hope you enjoyed it! (Also kind of sorry for hitting Gust in the face with a door. Kind of.)


End file.
